fuller



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

- J. E. FULLER. APPARATUS FOR FORMING, MAINTAINING, AND RENEWING THE ICEmoons 0F SKATING RINKS.

No. 489,227. Patentd Jan. 3, 1893.

INVENTOH K Q; ATTORNEY.

(No Model.) 3 Shets-Sheet 2.

J. E. FULLER. APPARATUS FOR FORMING, MAINTAINING, AND BENBWING THE ICEFLOORS 0F SKATING RINKS.

No. 489,227. Patented Jan. 3, 1893.

' ATTORNEY.

THE NNNN ls PETERS on. PMOTO-L'ITHO. wrsnmmn, n. c.

A (NoModeL) 3 Sheets -Sheet 3.

J. E. FULLER.-

APPARATUS FOR FORMING, MAINTAINING, BENEWING THE 1013 FLOORS 0F SKATINGRINKS.

I No. 489,227. Patented Jan. 3, 1893.

I 7 2775. 4,3 *2, I {L5 giwgmwm ATTORNEY.

J. ENSIGN FULLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING, MAlNTAlNING, AND RENEWING THE ICE-FLOORS 0FSKATING-RINKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,227, dated January3, 1893.

Application filed February 4, 1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. ENsIeN FULLER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of New York, in the State of NewYork, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Apparatusfor Forming, Maintaining, and Renewing the Ice-Floors of Skating-Rinks,of which the following is a specification, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

When the ice-floor of a skating rink,in which the same is produced byartificial means, is first frozen, it is almost impossible to produce aperfectly level skating surface thereon by the process of freezingalone; and it is usually found necessary to plane off the inequalitiesof such surface before the same is in a condition to allow skatingthereon. As soon, however, as the rink has been used for a few hours,the ice surface becomes so cut up and roughened by the sharp skates ofthose using the same, that it is no longer fit for use, and it isnecessary to renew such skating surface in some manner. lIeretofore thishas been accomplished either by flooding the ice-floor to the depth ofan inch or two and then freezing the film of water so added to theice-floor beneath it, or by allowing the ice-floor to wholly melt, andthen refreezing it. By either of these processes it has been foundpractically impossible to produce a skating surface which is fit to beused without being first planed to a level, and by the latter, theexpense of operating the rink is much increased, by reason of the greatquantity of refrigerant, which it is necessary to use each day, in orderto freeze the entire body of water, which when turned to ice,constitutes the skating surface. It has also been found that after theice-floor has been formed, and is ready for use, except in exceedinglycold weather, it is necessary to constantly use a large quantity ofrefrigerant in order to prevent such ice-floor from melting, and as thelarger the rink the greater the amount of air which must be cooled inorder to prevent such melting, the expense of maintaining rinks withlarge skating surfaces is enormous, by reason of the large quantity ofrefrigerant which must thus be used in maintaining as well asformingtheice-floorsthereof.

By reason of the several difficulties before Serial No. 420,313. (Nomodel.)

erence designate like or equivalent parts wherever found throughout theseveral-views, and in which: i

Figure 1, is a view in perspective of theinterior of a rink providedwith my improved apparatus, and ready for skating, parts being brokenaway in order to more fully show the construction thereof; Fig. 2, aview, in central vertical cross-section, of a rink provided with myimproved apparatus, showing part of that portion of the apparatus usedfor covering and preserving the ice-floor when not in use, in position,Fig. 3, a view in central vertical section of a portion of two of thesections of such insulating cover by which the ice-floor is preserved,showing the manner of attaching the hoisting ropes thereto, Fig. a, aplan view of the arrangement of the gearing by which the varioussectionsof such insulating cover are hoisted from the ice-floor so thatthe same be used for skating, Fig. 5, a detail view on an enlarged scaleof one side of the ice-floor of the rink, with the insulating cover inposition thereon, showing the device for renewing the skating surface ofthe ice-floor, and Fig. 6, a view of the ice-floor in cross section,showing a modified form of cover to be used in renewing the skatingsurface in position thereon.

Referring to the drawin gs:.'lhe numeral 1, designates a watertightbasin, having a thick floor 2, and thick side walls, 3, made of anysuitable insulating and water-tight material. \Vithin this basin 1, arearranged a series of pipes 4:, preferably in the form of loops, as shownin Fig. 1, which communicate at one end with a small header 5, and atthe other with a larger header 6. The small header 5, is incommunication with a supply of liquid anhydrous ammonia, or otherrefrigerant, supply through a pipe 7, and the large header 6,

' erably slants upward as shown, and the pipe 10, is provided withperforations 13, on the upper outward side thereof, through which thehot air or steam may be projected therefrom in an upward and outwarddirection.

The ice-floor 14, of the rink, when not in use for skating, is preservedand kept from melting, by being covered with a cover 15, which ispreferably of the form of construction shown in detail in Fig. 3, andfor convenience in handling is preferably made in sections. Each sectionthereof consists of a light frame-work of boards 16, suitablybraced, and

"held together, by rods of iron 17, provided with a cover 18, and bottom19, of thin boards, canvas, tarred-paper, sheet metal, or any othersuitable material, either singly or in combination with others. However,the bottom, and preferably both sides, of each of said sections of thecover 15, should have an outer covering, at least, of some materialwhich is thoroughly waterproof, in order that no dampness may penetrateto the filling of such sections. The longitudinal chambers between theboards 16, of the frame-work, are also preferably cut up into squares bycross-partitions 20, and the spaces thus left are packed with a filling21, of light insulating material such as mineral-wool, or ground cork;the purpose of the partitions 20, being to prevent such insulatingmaterial from shifting, as the cover is from time'to time moved.

A tight-joint is formed between the edges of the cover 15, and the sidewalls 3, of the basin 1, and between the abutting edges of the varioussections of such cover, in any desired manner,preferably by having suchedges formed rounded as shown, of canvas or other flexible material,filled with an elastic filling 21, such as cotton, or the like, whichwill be compressed so as to forman air-tight joint, when the varioussections are lowered into position on the ice-floor. On the under sideof this insulating cover 15, are preferably secured short-legs 22,provided with rubber feet 23, which rest upon the ice-floor 14, when thecover is in position thereon, and serve to support said cover at a shortdistance above the surface thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

Although the various sections of the insulating cover 15, may be placedupon and removed from the ice-fl0or 14, in any desired manner, and bymeans of any suitable mechanism, I prefer to use the form of deviceshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, for that purpose. This mechanism consistsof two or more revoluble shafts journaled in hangers 25, which aresuspended from the ceiling of the rink. These shafts are each providedwith bevelgear wheels 26, meshing with corresponding bevel-gear-wheels27, mounted upon a shaft 28, having a driving pulley 29, through whichpower is transmitted thereto, such shaft 28, being also supported byhangers 30, similar to those which support the shaft 24. Each of theshafts 24, has rigidly mounted thereon, so as to be rotated therewith,two or more drums 31, adapted to "receive and wind upon themselves whenrotated, ropes or chains 32, the lower ends of which are secured to thetop of a section of the cover 15, by means of a hooked turn-buckle 33,and ring 34, secured to such section in any desired manner.

It will be seen that a hoisting apparatus of the form described, isprovided for each of the various sections of the cover 15, and as eachof them is operated separately, the cover may be hoisted or lowered,with but a small expenditure of power. The two gear wheels 27, are ofthe same diameter, as are also the two-gear-wheels 26, meshingtherewith, consequently a rotation of the shaft 28, causes a synchronousrotation of the two shafts 24, carrying the drums 31, which being alsoeach of the same diameter, wind up the same quantity of rope at eachrevolution, and thus the section of the cover 15, hoisted thereby, iskept in a level position at all times; any departure from a levelposition, caused by uneven stretching of the hoisting ropes 32, beingeasily corrected by a manipulation of the turn-buckles 34. Power may beapplied to this hoisting apparatus, by means of a rope 35, coiled uponthe pulley 29, or in any other convenient way.

The bottom of the cover 15, being somewhat unsightly, the same ispreferably hidden from view when the various sections thereof areraised, by a flexible curtain or false ceiling 36, of any suitablematerial, such as bunting or canvas, which may if desired be decoratedin a suitable manner, which is drawn beneath the raised cover 15, andthere supported, by any convenient means. This curtain or false .ceiling36, when not in use is preferably rolled upon a revoluble roller 37,located at the side of the rink, as shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, and ispreferably drawn across the rink beneath the raised cover 15, and heldin position when desired, by means of wires or ropes 38, reeled upondrums 39, located at convenient points along the rink, upon the sidethereof opposite to that upon which is located the roller 37. Thesewires or ropes 38, are secured to the edge of the curtain or falseceiling 36, in any convenient manner, preferably by means of hooks 40,se-

cured to such wires or ropes, and hooking into grommets formed in saidcurtain for that purpose as shown. These wires or ropes 38,

may be unhooked and coiled upon the drums 39, when it is desired tolower the cover 15, or they may be so placed as to correspond to thespaces between the ends of the various sections of the cover 15, in suchmanner that said sections may slip by them when raised or lowered; andif the rink be a large one, the

curtain or false ceiling 36, for convenience in handling, may be made insections.

Although in Fig. 1, I have shown the cover 15, as in sections which areone-third the width of the basin 1, and in Fig. 2, as in sections whichare one-half the width thereof, it is evident that the number of suchsections may be increased or diminished, and that if the basin 1, besmall enough, such cover may be made in but one section of sufficientsize to cover the entire basin, without departing from the scope of myinvention.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:'lhe basin 1, being firstflooded with water to a depth of say from six to eight inches, andsufficient to cover the pipes 4, to

at least a depth of two inches, the cover 15, is

lowered so as to cover the water in the basin 1, but not sufficientlyfar for the legs 22, to reach the water therein. Liquid anhydrousammonia being then admitted to the small header 5, through the pipe 7,passes therefrom through the pipes 4, to the large header 6, from whenceit passes through a pipe 8, to an absorber or compressing pump, notshown, located at any convenient point. In its passage through the pipes4, this liquid anhydrous ammonia is expanded into a gas or vapor sorapidly that it takes up the latent heat in the water in the basin 1,and in con sequence such water is soon frozen into a solid sheet of ice14. The cover 15, being then raised and the inequalities of the surfaceof the ice, caused by the bulging and heaving of certain parts of theice-floor, invariably present in the freezing of large surfaces, beingscraped or planed off, until the entire surface is reduced to a level,the rink will be ready for skating. A few hours use of this ice-floorwill so cut up and roughen the same, that it will no longer be fit foruse, and it is then necessary to replace the roughened surface thereofby a new surface of smooth ice, which shall be fit for skating. In orderto do this, the fine particles of ice which have been cut therefrom bythe sharp skates, together with the grit and dirt which have necessarilycollected on such ice-floor, are first removed by sweeping with stiffbrooms, or in any other convenient way, and the cover 15, is thenlowered into position so as to completely cover the basin 1, but so thatthe rubber feet 23, of the legs 22, thereof, are from two to threeinches above the surface of the ice-floor 14. Steam or hot air underpressure being then admitted to the pipes 12, passes therefrom throughthe pipes 11, to the pipes 10, from which it escapes through theperforations 13, into the confined space between the bottom of the cover15, and the top of said icefloor 14. During this operation, there beingno anhydrous ammonia passing through the pipes 4, the hot air or steamsoon melts the surface of the ice-floor, to say the depth of an inch orso, throughout the entire basin 1; when the hot air or steam being shutofi, and if desired a small quantity of fresh water admitted to thebasin 1, to take the place of the ice removed bysweeping,anhydrousammonia is admitted to the pipes 4, as hereinbefore described, and thethin film of water on top of the ice-floor is soon converted into ice,and

frozen solidly to the six or eight inches of ice already below it, butinasmuch as this large body of ice below, has bulged and heaved all thatit possibly can when originally frozen, this renewed surface will befound to be substantially level, and ready for use as soon as frozen,without being scraped, planed or otherwise leveled.

Sometimes when steam is used. to melt the surface of the worn androughened ice floor, as hereinbefore described, the same is not turned05 when the anhydrous ammonia is admitted to the pipes 4, and when it isthus allowed to continue to flow into the space between the top of theice floor and the bottom of the cover 15, during the operation offreezing the new surface, such steam is condensed, and falling upon theice-floor in the form of a mist, freezes quickly thereto, and thusassists in forming a perfect glare-ice skating surface, as well as inmaking up for the loss occasioned by the removal of the sweepings ofice, cut from the floor by the'skaters.

When not in use for skating, and when not undergoing the process ofrenewal, the icetloor 14, is kept preferably covered by the cover 15,which is lowered so that the rubber feet 23, of the legs 22, rest uponthe surface thereof, thus taking the strain from the hoisting apparatus,and when so covered by this insulating cover 15, it will be found thatthe ice-floor may be preserved intact for days, with the use of butlittle, if any refrigerant.

If the steam or hot air were admitted to the space between the top ofthe ice-floor and the bottom of the cover in a downward or even ahorizontal direction, it would have a tendency to plow or furrow out thesurface of the ice, and to avoid this difficulty I prefer to have suchsteam or hot air issue from the pipe 10, at the upper outer sidethereof, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to strike either against the undersideof the cover 15, or the upper wall of the groove 9, and thus bedeflected toward the center of the rink. By this means, as the pipes 10and 12, are preferably arranged on all four sides of the basin 1, andthe hot air or steam, is thus directed from all sides toward the centerat once, the hot air or steam will come into contact with the ice at thecenter almost as soon as it does with that at the sides, and inconsequence the melting of the surface of the ice-floor will bepractically equal at all points, and the renewed surface when frozentherefore substantially level.

hen steam is used in this process of re- IIO newing the surface of theice-floor, and the same is allowed to issue from the pipes 10, duringthe process of freezing, much of the water condensed therefrom will bedeposited and frozen upon the legs and under surface of the cover 15,and this melting and dripping upon the ice-floor after said 'cover ishoisted will annoy the skaters, when the curtain or false ceiling 36, isnot used, and discolor and spoil the appearance of such curtain when itis. To overcome this difficulty, the modified form of construction shownin Fig. 6, may be used. In this form of the device, a flexible curtain41, is stretched tightly across the basin 1, just above the pipes 10,and the steam or hot air is then admitted to the space between suchcurtain and the ice-floor, as hereinbefore described. This curtain 41,when not in use, is preferably rolled upon a roller 42, located in arecess 43, and passes through a slit 44, made for that purpose in theside wall 3, of the basin 1, and between rollers 45, which clear thesame of the ice which has formed thereon from the water condensed fromthe steam, when the curtain is drawn back and rolled upon, the roller42. This curtain 41, may, of course, be used in connection with thecover 15, or separately therefrom, and when such insulating cover 15, isnot used, a second flexible curtain 46, may be drawn across the basin 1,a short distance above the other, and these two curtains with the airspace between them will also act as an insulating cover for the rink,when the same is not in use, and will protect the ice-floor from meltingto a certain extent, although not near as effectively as will the cover15, packed with insulating material.

It is evident that other refrigerant than anhydrous ammonia, and othermeans than the pipes 4, may be used for freezing the icefloor, and thatthe same may be formed in any manner; also that many modifications inthe construction, combination and arrangement of the various parts of myimproved apparatus for forming, maintaining and renewing the ice-fioorsof skating rinks, other than those mentioned, may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, and I do not limit myself toany particular form or mode of constructing the same, but

Having described my said invention, its construction, and the manner ofoperating the same, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:-

1. The combination with the ice-floor basin of a skating-rink, of aremovable insulating cover therefor, a series of ropes or chainsattached to such cover by which the same may be hoisted from or loweredinto position, a series of drums upon which the ropes or cables may bewound, and means for synchronously rotating said drums, so as to hoistor lower the cover and maintain the same in a horizontal position at alltimes, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the ice-floor basin of a skating-rink, of aremovable cover therefor, and means for introducing heated gases orvapors into the confined space between the surface of the ice-floor andthe cover, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the ice-floor basin of a skating-rink of aremovable cover therefor, and perforated heating pipes arranged aroundthe walls of the basin, and adapted to discharge their contents into thebasin beneath the cover, but above the ice-floor, substantially as shownand described.

4.. The combination with the-ice-floor basin of a skating-rink, of aremovable cover therefor, and heating pipes adapted to discharge theircontents into the space between the ice fioor and the cover, in anupward direction, arranged around the wallsof such basin,.substantiallyas, shown and described.

5. The combination with the ice-floor basin of a skating-rink, of acover therefor, mechanism whereby said cover may be hoisted andsuspended above the basin, and a curtain or false ceiling adapted to bedrawn under and held suspended beneath the raised cover, substantiallyas shown and described.

6. In a skating-rink, the combination with the. ice-floor, basinthereof, of a removable'insulating cover therefor, provided with shortlegs secured thereto and adapted to support the same, and a heating pipeor pipes arranged along the walls of the basin, and adapted to dischargethe contents thereof beneath the insulating cover and above the icefloorwhen the cover is in position upon such ice-floor, substantially asshown and described.

7. A removable insulating cover for the icefloors of skating-rinks,having a rigid body portion, and compressible elastic edges, as 21,whereby a tight joint may be formed-between the same and abuttingsurfaces, substantially as shown and described.

Signed at the city and county of New York, in the State of New York,this 1st day of February, A. D. 1892.

J. ENSIGN FULLER.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. O. BAILEY, O. L. DAVIS,

